To: amherstac@aol.com
Sent: Fri, Jul 29, 2011 2:07 pm
Subject: Tuesday
Hi Larry - Can you please meet with Maria and me at 3 pm next Tuesday? I expect to have the settlement information ready at that time, and Maria and I would like to be able to answer any questions you might have, as well as have an opportunity for us to provide some context for the settlements. Thanks, Kathy
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I feel a bit like the petulant school child sent to the principal's office for discipline, or what the Chinese government refers to as "retraining." Stimulates not-so-fond memories from St. Michael's Catholic school in Northampton, where the first line of offense was a brief stay in the cramped cloakroom.
Of course the ironic thing about the Amherst Schools trying to keep these settlement agreements with public employees secret is that by taking flawed legal advice from Attorney Tate and resisting my initial public documents request they have only attracted additional attention to the matter.
Furthermore, had I not published the formal finding from the Public Documents Division spelling out the Schools' mistake, a reader would not have seen the opportunity to forward me documentation regarding the other recent incident where the Schools, acting on bad legal advice, withheld the resume of the "interim" Director of Special Education, thereby earning yet another reprimand from state officials.
Rather than spend taxpayer money on bad legal advice, perhaps the Schools--a $50 million enterprise--should hire an entry level Public Relations advisor to spin positive stories and prevent recurrence of these embarrassing
This is what so infuriates me about the psychologist mindset (Maria G) -- they can't just give you information to which you have legal right of access; no, you must make an appointment with them to "discuss" it.
ReplyDeleteThese are public documents (or they wouldn't be "discussing" them with you) -- why should you have to run the gauntlet of a "discussion?" Why can't she just send them to you like any normal bureaucrat could/would?
Are they so overstaffed that they have the time for two fairly-high-paid employees to spend an hour (or more) "discussing" something that you ought to be able to read for yourself?
0ne other thing -- I still haven't heard from Maria G as to how she and the district intend to implement the ED/OCR policy I asked her about last winter....
ReplyDeleteYour damned if you do and damned if you don't. Here the school is offering to spend time with you, Larry, to discuss the information and answer any other questions you might have and you are chastising them. They don't have to take the time out of their busy day to actually meet with you...they could just give you the stuff and send you on your way.
ReplyDeleteIf you really don't want to meet with them tell them so and they won't waste their time with you.
I'm not chastising them in the least for setting up the meeting. It was just my guilty mind that made me reminisce about the good old days of Catholic school.
ReplyDeleteI am, however, chastising them for not releasing the documents--with our without a meeting--when I first asked for them.
Larry:
ReplyDeleteBy titling your piece "Detention" you are implying a chastisment. Why not simply call it "Meeting with Super," which is what it is. Detention implies that the school trying to set up a meeting with you was done to punish you. You don't want to meet? - don't go. Plain and simple. Titling your piece "Detention" is simply not good journalism. Though if you are trying to get a job at the Gazette this post might give you a leg up.
I did use a question mark, didn't I?
ReplyDeleteAnd I do plan to title tomorrow's upload "My meeting with Maria," or something fair-and-balanced like that.
Nothing wrong with grabbing attention via a headline (worked on you.) Yes, even the venerable Gazette is guilty of that once in a while.
Ed, they want to give the documents some context. That which they believe might go missing if he was to read the documents himself.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I can't wait to hear their context (read: spin) on what they were trying to hide.
I think Larry's right to be a bit skeptical. Why don't they just turn over the documents? Because they want some time to sweettalk you Larry. That's their MO, just as they've sweet-talked the whole community and convinced us to hire Maria. Hope you still keep up the great reporting after you meet....
ReplyDeleteBeware their mountain of words that mean nothing. That is their true expertise.
ReplyDeleteYou are hitting it right on the head. This is how the Kum-bi-yah crowd works (and I dealt with them on many issues) they smile at as they twist the knife in deeper. Then claim they don't know what the problem is or why anyone is upset. I sat in on meeting once with concerns on the schools and they questioned why I had paper in pencil in hand. I explained it was so that I could write down anything I thought was important and were very suspicious of that. someone explain that one to me!
ReplyDeleteIf I were to guess they are going to withhold something and want Larry their to patronize into submission. Or so they can say they did everything, even had a meeting.
As always what is the big issue with just handing over the documents and leave it at that. I totally agree with the sweet talk part that is very caracteristic of this crowd. they figure if they smile while they bury you in BS it will make it all better. Throw in a group hug and you damn near have world peace!!!
Just be happy you don't work for these "women".
ReplyDeleteCrack to them is handing down walking papers to whistle-blowers...
When you get the inevitable bureaucratic/education school jargon, ask them to translate. They may or may not be able to do that.
ReplyDeleteJust try listening to MariaG at a public meeting and then ask yourself, just what did she just say? You'll be hard-pressed.
The woman has been doing a marvelous job blowing vapors up our collective hind quarters, something she will likely do unimpeded for the next few decades.
I think the 3PM timing adds to the parochial school detention feeling.
ReplyDeleteDo you think saying the Act of Contrition before the meeting (silently- lol) would be of some help???
Maybe throw in a couple of Hail Mary's.
ReplyDeleteHail Mary's what?
ReplyDeletemind those apostrophes!
Or acquire a copy editor.
ReplyDeleteIt's "advice," Larry, "advice!"
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'll take it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I can't go in and change/edit "comments" like I can text in a post.
In your post, you wrote "advise" when it should be "advice" from an attorney. An attorney could advise you, but you do have to seek his advice.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Fixed. (At least I got it correct in the paragraph immediately before it.)
ReplyDeleteLarry, it never ceases to amaze me how the Geryk Dynasty gets away with the crap that they give parents, they don't even respond to parents requests to meet. Special Needs Studets get pushed through the system, and are not prepared to funtion in the real world. The School Committee has become a spineless committee that rubber stamps anything the queen Bee puts forth. This school system is/has been abusive to parents and students and we as tax payers and can't do anything about it. because if you push too hard and know you rights and the SPED regulations, DCF get involved and your child is taken away. No one on the school committee has answered my questions re: my daughter being passed to the next grade when she missed 63 days of school. I'm still waiting. Doesn't anyone care about our children? It appears to me that ARHS is more concerned with hiring as many Administrators and unqualified staff as possible. Has anyone thought about the fact that the school bills MassHealth/Medicaid for many of the services they provide. Can anyone show me how that is figured in the budget?
ReplyDelete